Giant Bugs, Bigger Hearts
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Rachel and Sasha are in for a restless evening when they're dealing with their biggest bug problem yet!


**Inspired by one of my favorite movies, here's a little story I came up with. Enjoy!**

* * *

Rachel and Sasha Jocklin were enjoying a peaceful stroll through the park. The sisters felt so at peace spending time together, it was like they were living a dream. They got some ice cream and sat on the park bench.

"What an amazing day..." Rachel sighed blissfully.

"The park always seems so serene on these gorgeous days." Sasha said.

Rachel looked around. "This park is nice, but I've always wanted to see Central Park in New York City."

Sasha's smile fell. "Well, I don't know. New York can be a pretty dangerous place..."

"That may be true, but life's too short to let fear stop you from new experiences." said Rachel. But Sasha was still wary, she was never really one up for adventure.

After the ice cream, the girls decided to head home to their beloved alien friends Just then, Rachel's communicator rang. She quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Rachel, it's Rook. Dr. Animo has escaped and I'm afraid we won't be home tonight."

"Will you be alright, sweetie?" Rachel said. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No, Dr. Animo is a highly unstable and very dangerous criminal. We can handle this by ourselves."

Rachel frowned. "Okay, be careful."

"I will." Rachel hung up. "I wish we could help Rook."

Sasha gave Rachel a pat on the back. "Don't worry, Rachel. I'm sure he and the other Plumbers will catch him, Let's go home."

* * *

So, later that day, Rachel and Sasha were just relaxing at home. They were eating dinner, but as they ate, they were missing Rook and Whampire, but the aliens did have a job to do.

"It's so quiet here without the aliens." Rachel said.

Sasha warily looked around. "Too quiet, kind of spooky..."

Rachel gave her sister a smile. "Want me to hold your hand?" she teased.

"Very funny." Sasha said.

After a quiet dinner and watching TV for a while, the girls decided to call it a night and went upstairs for bed.

The sisters were sound asleep, Sasha was sleeping so soundly until she heard a bump.

That one little bump made Sasha shoot up with large, frightened eyes. She looked down from her top bunk and saw her sister still asleep. "Rachel! Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Rachel didn't respond.

Still nervous, but curious, Sasha got up and went up to the door, putting her sharp ear against it. The girl's eyes grew when she heard something moving across the floor.

Sasha ran to her sister. "Rachel! There's something in the house!"

Rachel grumbled. "What?"

"There is something in the house!" Sasha hissed.

"You must have been dreaming, nothing could get in this house. Now go to sleep." Rachel turned away.

Sasha sighed, maybe she was dreaming. But before she could go back to bed, she decided to get a drink of water. She walked out of her room and went down the hall, she was almost to the kitchen when she heard that same noise.

She froze where she stood. Sasha stayed still as she heard what sounded like something...drag across the floor.

The sound came close. Sasha didn't know whether to stay frozen or run.

When the sound got closer, Sasha decided to run. She turned and what she saw next nearly made her eyes pop out of her head.

It was an earthworm, a giant earthworm that was practically six feet long! He wore black glasses and a red bowtie. Sasha's gasp made the creature jump.

Sasha choked on her voice a few times before she let out a huge, ear-splitting scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Sasha kept screaming as she was about to run to her room, but she bumped into Rachel instead.

"Sasha! What's wrong?!" Rachel put her arms around her sister. Then the girls saw the worm slither towards them. They both screamed and backed away into the wall.

"S-S-STAY BACK!" Rachel exclaimed.

Sasha hid behind her sister, practically on her knees as she still kept screaming.

But the worm started to panic himself. He swerved his head in all directions and started inching away from the girls. "No! NO! Don't hurt me! KEEP AWAY!" He turned and ran right into a wall.

Rachel's fear dissipated. Why was this giant, talking worm acting like a big chicken? She cautiously approached him. "Are you alright?"

Still panic-stricken, the worm flailed around and tried to get away, but he just didn't know what direction to go in.

That's when Rachel noticed the dark glasses he wore. "Are you...blind?"

"Well, of course I'm blind!" the worm shouted. "I only get around by hearing and feeling!"

Now Rachel felt terrible, she and Sasha's screaming must have really frightened this exceedingly large earthworm. "I'm sorry, we had no idea. We didn't mean to scare you. In fact, you scared us!"

Rachel looked back to Sasha, who was curled against wall, her eyes squeezed shut. "Sasha, it's okay. There's nothing to fear."

Sasha shook her head. "No! I hate worms!"

"Why's that?" asked the earthworm.

"Well, we are afraid of bugs. But when we were kids, bullies would put worms in my sister's lunch and in her hair just to scare her!"

The earthworm gasped, shocked that his own kind were used for such evil things. No wonder this girl was so scared of him.

Rachel eventually calmed her sister down and Sasha unfurled herself. She looked back at the giant worm and couldn't help but cringe a little. She reached out and slowly ran her fingertips down his back, her fingers passing his side a little. His skin was incredibly smooth.

The worm jumped and squirmed a little. "Don't do that!"

W"Oh, ticklish, are you?" Rachel mused with a mischievous smile. Earthworm started to looked nervous.

Surprised, but Sasha caught on and giggled. She pounced on the earthworm and started tickling him. He laughed and tried to squirm away, but he couldn't. Rachel joined in and now both sisters were tickling the wiggly worm.

"Ahahahahahahaha! Hey! Stop that! Ahahahahaha! Oh, please!" Earthworm laughed.

But suddenly, the front door was slammed open. Rachel and Sasha gasped and Earthworm his behind the girls.

It was none other than Dr. Animo! The deranged scientist snarled seeing the Jocklin sisters.

But the girls were twice as shocked seeing more giant insects beside Animo. A centipede, a grasshopper, a ladybug, a spider, and a glowworm! These insects were wearing clothes and wfuntioning like humans, but they looked like they were in a trance, they were under Animo's control!

"So, this is where you're hiding, my soon-to-be pet!" Animo snarled. "Good thing I put a tracking device on that bowtie of yours or I never would have found you!"

"Animo! What do you want with him?!" Rachel demanded. "And what's with those giant bugs?!"

"This worm, despite being blind as a bat, has somehow escaped my clutches! But he will be mine along with the rest of his friends!"

"The bugs you have I understand. But what would you want with a giant earthworm?" Sasha asked. "That's crazy even for you!"

Animo cackled like any mad doctor would. "Oh, she of little brain. You underestimate the true power of earthworms. They have the ability of regeneration! And when I grab that worm and use my brilliant mind to exploit that power as well as these incredible insects, I will be an indestructible, unbeatable ruler of the insects!" He grinned oh so evilly. "And when that happens, I'm going to turn you two sisters into my latest creations; Insect hybrids!" He laughed in a maniacal manner.

"And I've heard enough!" Sasha reached towards the potted plant in the hallway. Her hand glowed green and the plant glowed as well. Within seconds, the harmless fern became a bushel of thorny, tentacles. They grabbed Animo and held him high in the air. He screamed as he was completely helpless.

"Release me this instant!" Animo barked.

"Fat chance!" Sasha barked back. She willed the tentacles to grab Animo's mind control device on his head and snapped it to pieces.

"NO!" Animo wailed as his mind decide was destroyed. The insects were free from his mind control.

"Too bad your evil plan fell flat on its face, Animo." Rachel said. "Now let's take you over to Gutrot and have him wipe your memory."

Animo was about to scream until Sasha willed a vine to cover his mouth.

* * *

Once Animo's memory was wiped, the Plumbers took him into custody. Rachel and Sasha were left alone with the giant bugs. They tried not to look so scared.

The ladybug was the first to comfort them. "Oh, don't be frightened, dears. We mean you no harm."

"She's right. voice said. Rook came in with a tall young man who looked about Rachel's age. He had short brown hair and dressed rather formally. Rachel and Sasha recognized him right away.

Rachel gasped. "Oh my gosh. I don't believe it! You're James Henry Trotter!"

"The author?!" Sasha exclaimed.

James smiled. "That's right, thank you for saving my family."

"Your family?!" Sasha looked around the room of giant insects. "So...that book you wrote 'James and the Giant peach' was a true story?!"

"It was." James said. 'James and the Giant Peach' was one of Rachel and Sasha's favorite books growing up and was one of their favorite movies too. Never did they think that it was based on true events!

"Well, I know one thing, these girls are heroes!" Centipede said.

"That is right," Rook said as he walked in. "We would not have captured Animo without your assistance, Sasha!"

Sasha blushed. "Thanks, guys."

"You were a lot braver than me, that's for sure." Earthworm said. "I just ran away..."

"What are you talking about? You sure helped me out." Sasha said.

"I did?!" Earthworm said, surprised.

Sasha smiled. "You showed me that not all insects are bad. Especially worms." She gave Earthworm a friendly hug, making the insect chuckle bashfully. Then Sasha got that cunning smile and started tickling Earthworm again.

"Oh! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! No! Not this again! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Earthworm laughed.

"Cootchie, cootchie, coo!" Sasha teased.

Earthworm laughed and giggled and begged Sasha to stop. She eventually did.

"I say we celebrate this occasion!" Rachel proposed.

"YEAH!" everyone agreed.

The party of stopping Animo and meeting new friends was a big hit. Sasha danced with Earthworm, Centipede with Ms. Spider. And Old Green Grasshopper playing party tunes on his violin.

It was truly a party to remember. It just goes to show how anything is possible these days, especially if you in at the Grant Mansion.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! Earthworm was my favorite character in James and the Giant peach! So I hope you like this story!**


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